Anti-Valentine's Day
by Andrea O'Down
Summary: Johnny doesn't like that Ash is alone on Valentine's Day so close to her break-up with Lance. So he decides to spend the evening with her. Luckily, his girlfriend approves. But Ash probably wouldn't. So he needs to come up with an explanation why he's spending the evening with Ash instead of his girlfriend.


_For the writing-prompts I was doing on tumblr in February/March. ilovegamesandtoons asked for "Seeing as we've both not got anyone, do you want to come to mine and watch a movie?" for Johnny and Ash._

* * *

 **Anti-Valentine's Day**

"Hi Ash, it's Johnny," the gorilla says as soon as his friend answers the call. "Wanna hang out?"

" _Hang out?"_ Ash repeats.

"Yeah," he replies. ""Seeing as we've both not got anyone, do you want to come to mine and watch a movie?"

Okay, that's not the whole truth because he does have a girlfriend. But she's so nice and understanding and she got it when he said that Ash needs him today. It took him long enough to actually get Ash to talk about what is going on. She insisted that she was fine, although the way she looked, the way she talked, the way she sang was anything, but fine.

And then she told him because he didn't let her off the hook. And now he just doesn't want her to be alone on Valentine's Day.

It's hard enough that it's her first Valentine's Day alone after her breakup with Lance, but finding out that Lance proposed to this other girl just a few days ago must be devastating.

" _Not got anyone?"_ Ash repeats his words again. " _What does your girlfriend say to this?"_

"Nothing," he replies. "She's out of town."

Okay, that's not true, but it's not a lie either, well not entirely. It's a white lie. She agreed that they rearranged their Valentine's date when he told her about Ash. It's a good thing she likes Ash that much.

"So, what do you say, Ash?" he asks. "Let's do our own Anti-Valentine's Day!"

" _Yeah, sure, whatever,"_ Ash replies, he just _knows_ she's doing this little shrug she always does when she wants to give the impression that she doesn't care, although in fact, she does.

"Great!" he says with a grin. "Later, Ash!"

* * *

In the evening he arrives at Ash's apartment with pizza and soda and a bunch of action movie-DVDs. He left everything out that _could_ give the impression of romance or Valentine's Day or just love.

Ash opens the door, and pretty soon they are seated on her couch, eating pizza and drinking soda while some action-loaded movie is running.

"You know who I saw in the supermarket this afternoon?" Ash asks.

"Nope, last time I checked I wasn't a mind reader."

"Your girlfriend."

Johnny flinches a little at her words. Why didn't she call and warn him? Maybe she's mad at him nonetheless.

"Really?" he asks, his voice sounding a bit husky. "Did you guys talk?"

"No, I just saw her from the distance."

Johnny silently releases the breath he's been holding. Well, this would explain why she didn't warn him. And even more importantly, it means that she isn't mad at him. "You sure it was her?"

"Positive."

Ash shifts in her seat and Johnny turns to look at her. Her eyes are so very serious.

"Johnny, you sure that's okay?" she asks. "I mean she tells you she's out of town, but then I see her at the supermarket. Is it … is it possible she's…" - she takes a deep breathe - "...she's cheating on you?"

Johnny's eyes widen in surprise. His girlfriend? Cheating on him? Why on earth would Ash think that?

And them something clicks together in the back of his head.

 _Oooooohhhh…_

"No, it isn't," he says.

"Are you sure?" Ash asks further. "I mean I never thought … Lance would cheat on me, and he did."

"Ash, she isn't cheating on me."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because she never told me she's out of town today. I made this up so you wouldn't feel bad that the two of us meet today. And she knows I'm with you tonight."

Ash's eyes widen. "What? Why?"

"Because I don't want you to be alone tonight. Not when you're so sad," he explains.

Ash turns away, twisting her mouth. "I wouldn't have jumped off a cliff or anything, no worries."

"I know," he says. "I just didn't want you to be alone tonight."

Ash turns back to him. "Why?"

"Because we're friends."

"I have to disagree," she says, and it makes Johnny flinch a little. Her tone is so serious, it worries him.

But then Ash smiles at him so warmly and says," We're best friends."

He returns the smile. "That, we are."

"And she's fine with it?"

"Yes, she knows how important you are to me."

"Remind me to thank her."

"You don't have to. Really, she's fine with it."

"I want to."

"Okay," he says. "Will do."

"Thank you!"

He shakes his head a little. "Not for that."

"No," Ash says. "For everything."

"Not for that, either."

Ash replies with another warm smile which he returns.

Then he holds up his can of soda.

"To our Anti-Valentine's Day!" he calls out.

"To our Anti-Valentine's Day!" Ash repeats, holding up her can as well.

Then they clink their cans and turn back to the TV.

"You know," Ash says a few minutes later. "Despite it being an Anti-Valentine's Day, I think that's the best Valentine's Day I've ever had."

Johnny chuckles at that. "Don't tell my girlfriend, but I think so, too."

"And what if I do tell her?"

"You won't!"

He shoots her such an angry glance, she holds up her hands in a surrendering gesture.

"And you know, she and I are still celebrating our Valentine's Day later this week."

"I see," Ash says, and he doesn't like the smirk on her face. "But you still said that…"

"Ash!"

"No worries, I won't tell her!" She laughs a little. "Although…"

"ASH!"


End file.
